Filter system for laundry machines



Mamb 31, 1931. 5, w, u H 1,798,730

FILTER SYSTEM FOR LAUNDRY MACHINES Filed Sept. 4, 1926 INVENTOQR 6501205M flwv/MM Mum ATTORNEY Patented 31, {931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEenema W. DUNHAM, OI U'IICA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB TO-WUIBLDBY CORPORATION,

'01 NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION 01' NEW YORK FILTER SYSTEM:FOR LAUNDRY MACHINES Application filed September 4, 1926. Serial No.188,879.

i tank in which may be mounted a receptacle for, holdin the laundry andmeans for agitating the aundry to wash it, together with acirculatorysystem for circulating the laundry liquid. Means for rotatingtherecepo tacle may also be provided in order to extract the liquid fromthe laundry by centrifugal force to dr the laundry.

The laundry mac inema include a tank, inwhich ma be mounted or rotationa receptacle, which may be of the imperforate type for holding both thelaundry and laun- I ry liquid. Suitable agitatin means may be providedto agitate the laun ry and laundry liquid for washing the laundry, andmeans may be provided for rotating the receptacle to discharge theliquid therefrom,

- thereby drying the aundry.

.A. circulatory system may be furthermore provided for continuouslytransferring the g aundry liquid from the bottom of the tank to the topof the receptacle for washing and rinsing, if desired. Furthermore,filter devices may be provided which may be disposed in the path ofcirculation of thelaundry li uid for filtering out the impurities from te laundry liquid which have been extracted from the laundry. A clothfilter will be most desirable, because it may be made of cheap materialand of fine mesh. It has been found that, during the washing operation,b the use of a filter of this kind together wit a strainer in the bottomof the tank, at the end of the washing the wash water is practically asclean and clear as when it was first ut in the machine, and that thereis practical y no difference in the rinse water after it is used ascompared with when it is taken from the faucet. The advantages andbenefits of this method of washing are obvious. The laundry is muchwhiter and ab-,

-solutely free from sediment or scum either in the concentrated formwhich is the most objectionable, or in the distributed form, which isnot so noticeable to the ordinary observer. By the invention a processand apparatus for treatin laundry 1s provided, whe eby laundry may aesubjected to its several treatments including washing by a stream ofpure running water kept always substantially free from impurities.

To get proper results a very fine screen or cloth filter is necessary,an it is desirable that the filter be so located as to be easilyremovable for the purpose of cleaning, as the sediment and dirt from thelaundry will go clog up a large surface in a short time.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be obviousfrom the following particular description of forms of mechanismembodying the invention or from u an inspection of the accompanyingdrawings; and the invention also consists in certain new andnovel-features of construction and combinations ofparts hereinafter setforth and claimed.

Referring now to the drawing in which there is shown for purposes oflllustration several modes of practicing the invention:

Fig- 1 is an elevation of a laundry machine with parts broken away toshow the construc- 15 tion thereof; t

Fig. 2 is a more or less diagrammatic elevation of the type machineshown in Fig. 1 but having the filter in a difl'erent position; and

Fig. 3 is a detail showing a filter mounted on the discharge nozzle.

In the following description and in the claims" parts will be identifiedby specific names for convenience, but they are intended to be asgeneric in their application to similar parts as the art will permit.

Referring now to the drawing, the laundry machine may comprise the usualtank, 1, O0

which may be supported by the usual legs. The tank may be generallycylindrical and may be provided with a cover 2, as shown. The bottom ofthe tank may be provided with a large central opening 3 to which may besecured a horizontall disposed centrifugal pump 4 having its inta ecommunicating with the bottom of the tank. Projecting upwardly from theupper casing wall of the pump 4 may be a hollow pedestal 5 upon the topof which may be journalled an imperforate type receptacle 6.

Secured to the bottom of the pump4 may be a gear box 7 in which may bemounted suitab e gearing for imparting the necessary motions to thereceptacle 6 and agitator 9. Suspended preferably from the bottom of thetank may be a driving motor 10 having a drive pulley 11, on which may bemounted a belt 12 which is also mounted on a driven pulley 13 to drivethe mechanism in the gear box 7.

The receptacle 6 may comprise an outer wall 14 flaring slightlyupwardly, a bottom 16 forming an annular trough 17, and a central hub 18which is mounted over the pedestal 5. A suitable strengthening plate 19may connect the bottom of the trough 17 to the hub 18. A guard ring 20ma be provided extending upwardly and inwar ly to prevent loss oflaundry from the receptacle during the several operations. A pluralityof discharge openings 21 may be rovided through which the liquid mayover ow during washing or rinsing, and through which it may bedischarged during drying. A plurality of sediment disposing holes 22 maybe provided in the bottom of the trough, these holes effectivelyallowing the heavy dirt from the laundry which settles to the bottom ofthe receptacle to pass therethrough. The amount of laundry liquid lostthrough the holes may be negligible compared to the amount supplied bythe discharge nozzle 24, this to be described more in detailhereinafter.

A suitable agitator 9 may be provided including a plurality of blades 25disposed in the receptacle, and secured to a hub 26. The agitator hubmay be detachably connected to a central shaft 27 which may haveimparted thereto a rotary oscillatory motion from the gear box 7.Surrounding the central shaft 27 maybe a tubular shaft 28 which may bedetachably connected to the receptacle by the clutch 29, and from whichthe impeller 30 of the-pump may also be driven.

At the side of the tank a standpipe 31 may be provided, the standpipecomprising a riser tube 33 into which may be telescopically fitted aflow pipe 34 having at its upper end a goose neck nozzle 24. The flowipe may be open at its lower end and may e provided with an opening 35in its side wall registering with the branch 36 on the riser tube (whenin the position shown).. The branch 36 of the riser tube is connected tothe discharge end of the pump 4 by a flexible conduit 37 sothatvibrations due to the rotation of the recepta'cle and associated partswill not be communicated to the' standpipe 31 therethrough. It Will beunderstood that when the flow pipe 34 is in the position shown, thelaundr liquid may be pumped from the bottom of the tank 1 up through thestandpipe 31 and be discharged from the discharge nozzle 24 into thereceptacle 6. It will be appreciated that by turning the flow pipe 34 orby raising it slightly the opening 35 in the flow pipe may be broughtout of register with the lateral branch 36, thereby closing thestandpipe to the flow of liquid. By raising the flow pipe so that thelower end thereof is above the lateral branch 36, liquid may bedischarged through the standpipe and the flow pipe at this raisedposition may be rotated to any angular position to allow liquid to bedischarged therefrom.

In the washing operation the receptacle 6' may be filled with laundryand laundry liquid, and the agitator 9 may be connected to the centralshaft 27 which will have a rotary oscillatory motion imparted thereto bythe gearing in the gear box. At the same time the flow pipe 34 may be inthe position shown and laundry liquid may be continuously circulatedfrom the bottom of the tank into the top of the receptacle, whence itwill overflow through the discharge openings 21 back to the bottom ofthe tank.

In order to rinse the laundry pure water may be substituted for thewashing liquid, and the operation may be carried on in the exact mannerjust stated. For an alternative method of rinsing, the agitator 9 may beremoved and the receptacle connected by means of the clutch 29 to-thetubular shaft 28 to rotate at centrifugal discharging speed. The fiowpipe 34 may be raisedand its discharge nozzle 24 rotated so that therinse water may be discharged from the bottom of the tank clear of thelaundry machine, as for instance, into a sink. As the receptaclerotates, in this method of rinsing, a continuous flow of rinsing watermay be caused into the top of the receptacle by means of a hose (notshown). In order to dry the laundry the receptacle may be caused torotate at centrifugal discharging speed and the flow pipe may beadjusted so that no water may flow therethrough, the water collecting inthe bottom of the tank, or the flow pipe may be adjusted so that thewater may be dischargedclear of the machine.

As the washing operation proceeds the originally clean washing liquidordinarily becomes soiled due to its extracting the dirt and impuritiesfrom the laundry. In order to lie keep the washing liquid comparativelypure,

a filter may be provided anywhere in the path of circulation. A coarsefilter such as a screen provided.

m'aagao 39 may be rovided at the bottom ofthe tank, the screen aving alar e foraminous flat portion, the entire area which is effective forscreening even though the water becomes ve low in the tank. To take outthe fine impunties from the liquid a fine mesh filter may be In Fig. 1 afinemesh filter is shown comprising a ring 41 having an annular seat 42fitting the top of the guard ring 20 and having an annular groove 43,and bein provided with a filter cloth 44 of fine mes the filter clothbeing held in the annular groove by'means of a piece of string or cord45. The

filter cloth may rest on the top of the agitator hub 26, the osclllationof the agitator-hub during washing having no damaging effect on thefilter cloth. During washing or rinsing as the liquid is discharged fromthe discharge nozzle 24 it is strained or filtered by the filter cloth44 before it goes into the rece tacle.

The suds which may accumulate on t e top of the filter cloth 44 areeffectively by-passed by allowing them to flow over the top of thefilter cloth and down the side of the receptacle 6. The cleaningsubstance in the was ing li uid is to a large extent in solution, so

- that t e by-passin of the suds around the impurities from the laundryliquid will clog u the fine mesh of any cloth very quickly. The filteris easily removable for th1s purpose. Preferably the filter cloth may beof.

some cheap substance which the user of the washing machine may buy in adry goods store, and may replace as often as desirable or necessary.

As ab we stated the filter cloth may be provided anywhere in the path ofthe laundrv liquid so lon as there is insured that only the filtered iuid may reach the receptacle. As a furt er example, a filter-47 may bedisposed below the receptacle as h shown in Fig. 2. The filter 47 may bemade up of an inner ring 48 which may rest on aniangle seat 49 securedto the pedestal 5; an outer ring 50 may be provided which ma rest on anannular angle seat 51 secured to the tank; a suitable filter cloth 52may extend between the inner ring .48 and outer ring 50. The fit betweenthe inner ring 48 and angle seat 49 may be made loose to allow smalllateral movement of the pedestal 5. The dirty liquid may overflow thereceptacle to be filtered by the filter, the liquid in the bottom of thetank being clean to be pumped from thebottom of the tank back into-thetop of the receptacle.

. filtering, medium 57 3 ring, a filter cloth 0 a still furthermodification," the discharge nozzle me be. provided with a filter 54v asshown in ig. 3. The filter 54 may com rise an enlarged head. 55 securedto the disc arge nozzle 24 and an annular cap 56 threaded thereonbetween which a suitable" ma be clam ed. 1 It is obvious, that eit erone oi the filters shown in Figs. 1,2 and 3 may be used separately-orthey may be used in any combination, lncluding all together, in order toinsure the desired filtering action. If the filters are usedsimultaneously, each may be made of a difie'rent mesh to catch theimpurities which are loosened from the clothes the degrees of meshvarying, the coarsest being in I the path of the liquid nearest thedischar side of the receptacle,the finest bein in t e path of the liquidjust before it reac es the receptacle.

invention, an apparatus is provide which washes and rinses the clothesin the most scientific and efiicient manner. During washing the laundryliquidmay be kept so clean that with the naked e c it is impossible to vThus it will beseen that accordin to the discern any difference in theliquid after the clothes are washed from its appearance before washing.Furthermore, the removal of suspended solid material from the flowingliquid causes the clothes to be absolutely free from either concentratedor distributed sediment of all sizes, and the clothes which are takenfrom the machine fectly washed.

While I have shown and described and have pointed out in the. annexedclaims cer-.

tain novel features of the invention, it will be understood that variousomissions, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of thedevice illustrated and in its operation t' 11 are prac 1ca y per may bemade by those skilled in the art with put departing from the spirit ofthe inven- I -Iaving thus described my invention, I cla1m:

1. In a laundry machine, a tank, a receptacle mounted therein, saidreceptacle having discharge openings near the to thereof, and avingparts imperforate to old washing liquid during washing operations, anupper guard ring having its upper rim above said opemngs, a filter rinseated on said guard fine mesh secured to said filter ring, an a itatorin said receptacle having a hub on w ich part of said cloth rests,'meansfor'im arting an oscillatory rotary motion to said continuouslycirculating washing liquid from said tank onto the top of said filtercloth.

2. In a laundry machine, a tank, a receptacle therein for holdinlaundry, a circulatory system for continuously conveying laun ry liquidfrom said tank into the top of said receptacle, a filter of large areaand agitator, and means for I fine mesh on top of said receptaclewhereby suds collecting at said filter are y-passed argfind saidreceptacle to the bottom of said ta 3. In a laundry machine having anouter tank and-a clot-hes receptacle mounted therein for rotation tocentrifugally extract water from the clothes, a filter seated on theopen top of said receptacle, means for agitating the laundry for washingpurposes, an means for continually circulating washin liquid from saidtank onto the to of said lter.

In testimony whereof I ave hereunto set my hand.

GEORGE W. DUNI-IAM.

